shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

[caheaton]

Hello,
In August my wife and I are headed to Acadia NP (Seawall, walk in site in area D but close to car). Since shower facilities are lacking onsite and because we both like to bathe before retiring to bed I'm considering purchasing a shower tent (either this one http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...2410/#desc-tab
or this one http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Delux...ds=SHOWER+TENT ). Water will be heated using either a solar shower (which I'd keep resting on the roof of the parked car while we're out and about) or one of the Zodi water heaters. (I've used the solar shower before in Florida, it worked quite well after a few hours in full sun).

My biggest question is if such units are permitted and will I be required to capture the gray water? We won't be using it every day...as I anticipate we will likely use the coin operated showers at the nearby store every third day or so as my wife has long hair and it would probably be easier for her to wash there than using the shower tent.
(I also plan to use biodegradable soaps and shampoos if allowed to discharge gray water onto the ground...if we have to capture the water then that can be easily arranged).

Anyone use such an arrangement at Acadia before or observed someone who used one?
Thanks!
Craig

[05Kingquad700]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

I have the trekker shower Cabelas. I changed the previous shower for the trekker. If you want to search the forms I made a shower out of a 2 gallon weed sprayer. If I was going to do it again I would buy the zodi extreme.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_pr...price-asc-rank

[NYCgrrl]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

You can bring a shower tent to Seawall but it has to fit on the gravel portion of your site. Since there is a disposal site for dirty dishwater I'm gonna say have a way to capture your gray water. Bet a 1-2 gal. dish pan would do ya well. Showering isn't exactly missing because they are set up by the camp store and you have to pay for them. Good to know in case it's cloudy/rainy some days.

[caheaton]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

I figured they'd probably want me to capture the water...will likely either use a shallow tub to stand in or perhaps an inflatable kiddie pool (though the tub is likely easier to empty). Agree with you about the gravel...luckily it looks like the site (based on photo) should have enough room...if space is tight we could always forgo setting up the screen house and use a tarp instead. I'm thinking the shower would be convenient and almost pay for itself since we'll be there for two weeks (compared to the 50 cents per minute at the shower store...given the average length of our showers that would come to close to $150 in shower costs!). Plus, I'd be able to use it for future trips to places my wife likely would otherwise pass up due to lack of facilities. Still curious if anyone's ever observed someone using one of these at Acadia.

As for the Zodi Extreme...that a real possibility. I had been thinking of one of the instant heat models and then rigging up a 3 way valve so that the water could be shutoff and diverted back into the bucket/water jug while soaping up and then the water turned back on to rinse. The extreme is a little more compact and the ability to shut the water off right at the tank is a plus for saving water. Only negative is I'm not sure how my wife would take to having to pump the unit once or twice during her shower :-) .

[NYCgrrl]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

Yeah that dollar a day times 2 people for 15 days sure does add up! I bought a collapsible fire pit because the regular state park I go to charges 5 bucks daily for a fire pit. It cost me almost $200.00 but paid for itself in a few trips and now it's all gravy, LOL.
I've used a sun shower in the past and the learning curve is easy enough. Maybe put some bathing suits on and give it a try in the backyard before you go.

[caheaton]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

I've used a solar shower before...a little over a year ago I went camping (solo) to Cayo Costa SP in Florida. Only showers there were cold water, so I'd fill my solar shower up in the morning and leave it out on the picnic table. By afternoon the water was almost too hot! (thermometer built into shower bag was reading around 120 degrees). I'm going to bring the solar shower to Acadia, but suspect there might not be enough sun (camped in the forest as we are) to fully warm the water, hence the propane water heaters :-) . Though I can foresee my wife using up all the hot water if she decides to wash her hair and leaving me to go refill and rewarm the water :-) (She has long hair down below middle of back....)

[caheaton]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

Just an update for this thread. I went ahead and purchased the Texsport Deluxe shower tent, along with the Zodi extreme shower (the one with the stainless tank) plus a Zodi battery powered shower (the basic pump and shower...no tank or heater). My idea is to use the tank to heat water and pour into a bucket which can then be used with the battery shower. While one person is in the shower another tank of water can be heated. If the first needs more water (thinking of when my wife washes her hair), it's available. If it's not needed then I simply have water available for the next person's shower. If the batteries should get weak or if I decide to camp sometime in the future and don't want to bother with the batteries I can still use the pump on the Zodi tank. (Plus I'll have the two solar showers I already have...plus the one that came with the tent). Between these items I should have quite a few options :-) . I decided on the Zodi stainless tank for it's versatility...you can use it as a shower, as tank for heating water or simply use the burner for heating water in a steel bucket.

[tplife]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

The Zodi and the Coleman are pretty much the only options out there (beside the SolaShower). We came close to choosing the Coleman, which, with the shower attachment removed, works as a warm water dispenser for dishes and such. Looking at it's heavy weight and size necessities, I decided we could live without it. I've used a Solashower deer hunting in near-freezing conditions and it was surprisingly warm and functional. Looking forward to your performance reviews of the Zodi product...

[caheaton]

Re: shower tent at Acadia NP campground?

I agree with the solar showers. On a trip to Florida last year I used one for the first time...after all day in the sun the water was almost too hot! :-) If I could count on reliable sunshine I'd likely stick with the showers, but given that we'll be in Maine and the campsite is wooded I figured I better have some other options :-) .